The 800 metres, or 800 meters (US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest common middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of the track (400-metre track) and has been an Olympic event since the first games in 1896. During indoor track season the event is usually run on a 200-metre track, therefore requiring four laps.

The event was derived from the imperial measurement of a half a mile (880 yards), a traditional English racing distance. Imperial racing distances were common in the United States. American high schools (in the name of the NFHS) were the last to convert to metric distances in 1980, following the NCAA's conversion in 1976. Countries associated to the English system converted to metric distances after the 1966 Commonwealth Games. 800 m is 4.67 m less than half a mile.

The event combines aerobic endurance with anaerobic conditioning and sprint speed. Both the aerobic and anaerobic systems are being taxed to a high extent, thus the 800-metre athlete is required to combine training between both systems.

Training

800m runners have training plans that include both speed and endurance work, in order to improve both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems, as both of these are used in the race. Almost all 800m athletes' training will be on the track during the outdoor season (Summer), and will mostly consist of repetitions of distances between 200m and 1000m. Coaches have varying opinions on training during Winter; some argue the athlete should continue to do 800m training and racing on indoor tracks, whereas others argue that cross-country running is more beneficial as it develops strength and endurance. 800-metre runners tend to include at least one longer run per week in their training schedule, but this may be more depending on their standard. For junior athletes these may be 2–4 miles (3–6 km), however for senior athletes these may be 5–7 miles (8–11 km). Sebastian Coe ran around 60-70 (95–110 km) miles per week at his peak, whereas Steve Ovett ran 100–120 miles (160–190 km). It is worth noting that the training of these two athletes was aimed at the 1500m and mile as well as the 800m. The higher an athlete's standard, the more likely they are to do "strength and conditioning" training, which may include weight training, circuit training, or plyometrics.

Race tactics

The 800 m event is also known for its tactical racing techniques. Because the 800 m event is the shortest middle distance event that has all the runners converge on lane one, positioning on the cut-in and the position of the pack is critical to the outcome of the race. It is commonly believed that getting the first or second position early in the race is advantageous as these positions are not usually caught up in the pack. Olympic champions Dave Wottle, Yuriy Borzakovskiy and others have defied that logic by running a more evenly paced race, lagging behind the pack and kicking past the slowing early leaders. Often the winner of 800 m races at high levels are not determined by the strongest runner but instead by the athlete with the best positioning near the end of the race. This leads to a high probability of an upset. Competitive races tend to put the athletes in different lanes.[2] Sometimes the race will begin on a "waterfall" start, making the starting line much more crowded and making it difficult to have a good start. This is common in youth running, but unlikely anywhere else.

Two common tactics for the 800 metres are running a negative split or a positive split between laps. The positive split is widely considered to be the more effective strategy, but on occasion experienced runners have been known to use a negative split to their advantage. A positive split is achieved by running the first lap faster than the second lap, and a negative split is achieved by the opposite, running the second lap faster than the first. The current world record holder, David Rudisha, runs using a positive split strategy. In his 2012 Olympic race, he ran his first lap in 49.28 seconds and his second lap in 51.63 seconds. Theoretically, an even split is the most effective strategy, but it is nearly impossible to achieve due to the race's length.

Juniors

World junior records (19 and under) are held by Nijel Amos (1:41.73, London, 9 August 2012) and Pamela Jelimo (1:54.01, Zürich, 29 August 2008). Both marks coincidentally rank them as the third fastest ever.

^ On 10 February 2017, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a four-year ban that effectively stripped of the gold medal of Mariya Savinova of Russia, based upon her biological passport. Caster Semenya of South Africa was advanced to gold, Ekaterina Poistogova of Russia to silver, and Pamela Jelimo of Kenya to bronze. Poistogova herself was later found guilty of doping, but her Olympic results were unaffected, and the IOC decided to upgrade her medal. 1